Chinese New Year 2018 - Year of the Dog

Chinese New Year 2018 – Year of the Dog

新 年 快 乐 Xīn nián kuài lè!

“Xīn nián kuài lè!“ Chinese New Year, a New Year’s Day celebration by China for the year 2561. This Chinese New Year falls on Friday, February 16. The Holiday is one of China’s most important traditions in China also known as the “Spring Festival.” In Thailand, the Thai’s of Chinese descent begin preparation to honor their ancestors with a gathering of relatives.

The origin of Chinese New Year

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with the fight against a mythical beast called the “Year”. The “Year” looks like an ox with a lion head and inhabits in the sea. On the night of New Year’s Eve, the “Year” will come out to harm people, animals, and properties. Later, people found that the “Year” fears the color red, fire, and loud sounds. Therefore, for self-protection, people formed the habit of posting red Dui Lian in front of their house as well as launching fireworks and hanging lanterns at year end.

Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) has a far-reaching history of over 3,800 years. The origin of the festival can be traced back to the worshiping activities in China’s ancient agrarian society. The date for the ceremony wasn’t fixed until the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) when Emperor Wudi commanded to use the lunar calendar. From its ancient origins in Yinshang Age (17th century BC – 1046 BC) to present day, the festival has several names such as Yuanchen, Yuanri, and Yuandan.

The holiday was closely associated with agrarian society in history. Ancient people concluded the

disciplines of cycles of seasons from their planting experience and the concept of ‘year’ came into being with the outcome of the calendar in the Shang Dynasty (17th century BC – 1046 BC). The earliest worshiping activities became the embryo of the festival. People attributed their food, clothes, and harvest to the god and ancestor’s will, so they held sacrifice ceremonies to pray for blessing and peace at the end of each year.

However, the name of ‘Nian’ (year), in fact, emerged in the Zhou Dynasty (1046 – 256 BC), and worshiping performance also turned to be social practice to observe the beginning of farming work in spring. Not only worshiping ancestor and praying for a good harvest, they also began to enshrine Kitchen God, Gate God, Joy God, Wealth God, and Well God.

Facts about the Year of the Dog

Chinese: 狗 (Gǒu)

Earthly Branches: Xu (戌)

Energy: Yang

Five Elements: Earth (Tu)

Lucky Flowers: Rose, Oncidium

Lucky Directions: East, West

Lucky Numbers: 3, 4, 9

Unlucky Numbers: 1, 6, 7

Lucky Colors: Green, Red, Purple

Unlucky Colors: Blue, White, Golden

Ranking as the eleventh animal in the Chinese zodiac, Dog is the symbol of loyalty and honesty. People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They are honest, friendly, faithful, loyal, smart, straightforward, venerable and have a strong sense of responsibility. On the negative side, they are likely to be self-righteous, cold, terribly stubborn, slippery, critical of others and not good at social activities.

Dogs are human’s most loyal friends protesting their owners since the primitive society. The touching stories about dogs and human beings are too numerous to enumerate. On the street, you can see the dogs helping the blind to cross the street. The renowned Temple of Eighteen Deities on the northern of Taiwan is sacred to a dog saving his master.

Dog people have a strong sense of justice. They are brave, forthright, friendly, loyal to his friends and like righting wrongs. Loyal and honest, they have the most profound sense of duty in career and don’t play job – hopping easily. As a common employee, they can perform well thus are highly regarded by their superiors. There may be problems in work after thirty-five, which requires them to overcome calmly and serenely. They are also good working partners. In love, they are fiercely loyal to those they love.

Siam University wishes everyone a Happy and Healthy Chinese New Year!!!!